The Secret To The North
by CarlaKitten21
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are visiting Percy's relatives in near Hudson Bay, Canada, and it seems they've stumbled upon something that Chiron didn't want them to know... Told through Annabeth's point of view.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It wasn't my fault.

Seriously, if we hadn't been visiting Percy's family in Quebec it would _never_ have happened. So, yes, I had the map, got us lost, and that kind of eventually started a war between Gods - a totally different war - but it _wasn't my fault_. It wasn't a conscious decision or anything, it just... happened. It's too late now. I can't take it back and I, Annabeth Chase, have to live with the memory. But it can't be my fault. Because if it is, how am I supposed to live with myself? Knowing that I almost destroyed the home of my new friends, and sparked the war that lost them their family and friends? I couldn't... I couldn't... I _can't..._


	2. Chapter One - The alley

"No, I've told you Percy, it's this way!" I sighed with exasperation. Percy just grinned sheepishly at me.

"Sorry. I've never been to Canada before. It's a bit confusing." I rolled my eyes at him, but I couldn't hide my smile.

"Give it here Seaweed Brain." I said, grabbing the map from him. I studied it for a moment, then rolled it up and marched forward confidently. Percy ran to catch up with me, and we fell into step beside each other.

"So." I said "Remind me why we're here again?"

"Sure thing, Wise Girl. My Mum's cousin lives out here."

"And we are visiting, why?"

"Because family is important Annabeth! She has two small children and, um, I have to get to know them!" I suspected Percy was just parroting something his Mum had told him. Sally was into that sort if stuff, whereas Percy...

"Take a left here Percy." I said, suddenly coming to my senses. Percy and I turned and I felt a shiver go down my spine, for no apparent reason. Looking at Percy, I saw he'd just felt it too. I wasn't feeling any more optimistic when I saw where I'd landed us. We were in a dark alleyway, the sun being almost completely blocked out by tall, run down buildings either side of us, which were shrouded in shadow. Back on the main street, it had been sunny, even warm, but here it was cold. I took a few steps forward, until I was in the middle of the alley.

"Annabeth!" called Percy "Lets go. They clearly don't live down here." I nodded, but suddenly a noise from the fire escape above me to the left made me look up. Percy must have heard it too because he was by my side in an instant.

"Is anyone there?" I called, at the same time as mentally scolding myself for being paranoid. It was probably just a stray cat or something. Then I heard mocking laughter from above, and a boy's voice.

"Look at her blubber! Is the little girlie lost? Should someone fetch the baby's dummy?" I screamed and jumped at Percy in fright. There was more laughter, and now a girl's voice rang out, clear and unmistakably gleeful.

"The baby needs her comfort blanket!"

Another voice, another girl, answered this time. "Yeah, but it's a boy, not a blanket, dumbo."

A third girl piped up suddenly. "Ooh, is that her boyfriend? He's quite good looking, isn't he?"

Percy disentangled himself from me and yelled at the sky. "Who are you? What do you want?"

I looked around at the fire escape. It formed a square in which we were stood perfectly in the middle of. A section of it crossed over the alley. The whole thing was a story up, and pitch black.

"Dear, dear, the boyfriend's not happy, is he?" giggled the second girl.

"Well, how can he, if he has that idiot as a girlfriend?" replied the third girl.

"I am not stupid!" I yelled angrily.

"Oh yeah?" asked the boy sneeringly, from my right. From my right... Then it hit me. They were switching places, walking round on the fire escape so we had less chance of tracking their voices. Clever.

"Percy." I whispered. I thought I was being quiet, but four voices immediately whispered loudly "Percy" right back at me, so I was forced to give that plan up.

"I don't think you know who your dealing with!" yelled Percy, trying to sound brave, but I could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Don't we?" replied the boy, casually. Percy faced where the boy's voice had last come from, and drew Riptide.

There was a collective gasp from the four people above us. Percy looked momentarily puzzled.

"Wait. You can see the sword?" he asked.

"Obviously they can Seaweed Brain." I said. "They just gasped."

"Who are you?" asked the third girl in awe.

"I am - " but Percy was cut short, almost literally, as a knife came flying out of the darkness, and embedded itself in the ground between Percy's feet.

"Now each of us know exactly who we're dealing with." came the boy's voice. "We have you surrounded, and outnumbered, so face it, you lost."

"Not quite." I grinned. "Percy, NOW!" Percy threw riptide and it slashed the ropes above where I knew the boy was standing the fire escape collapsed and there was a cry as somebody invisible fell and landed in a heap of rubbish lining the wall of the alleyway. A boy materialised in front of us sprawled across empty cardboard boxes, swearing loudly. He had dark messy hair and bright green eyes. He looked about thirteen or fourteen, but his vocabulary was considerably advanced. He wore a blue T-shirt that bore the slogan "I fought the law". But the thing that struck me as odd the most was the fact that in his jeans pocket, there was a knife, the exact same one as had been in the ground just moments ago between Percy's feet. Percy planted his foot on the boy's chest and pointed Riptide at his throat.

"Who are you?" he asked, with careful and deliberate emphasis on each word.

"I don't need to tell _you_." replied the boy angrily. "Gods, I'm in enough trouble as it is without - " I interrupted him, knocking aside Percy's sword.

"Wait. You said _Gods._ Not God, as in singular, but _Gods,_ plural." He gave me an uneasy grin.

"I'm, um, I'm - "

"Idiot." sang a voice from the other side of the alley. It was a girl. I recognised the voice of that of the first girl who spoke. She had dark skin, and even darker hair, which was incredibly frizzy and seemed to just grow out of her head in any way it liked. Her skin and hair were in great contrast to her bright red T-shirt and white shorts.

"That's my sister, Lola." sighed the boy, struggling to push himself up with his elbows.

"Yes, and that's my complete dunce of a brother, Rick." moaned Lola.

"You don't look like each other." I queried.

"There speaks a true genius. " smirked Rick, accepting Lola's hand as she pulled him up from under Percy's foot. Percy stumbled backwards, but he didn't turn Riptide back into a pen.

"Are you only, like, half siblings or something?" he asked, cautiously. Rick and Lola both nodded. My mind was racing. The knife, the materialising, the use of the expression Gods, now this? Suddenly it all clicked into place.

"You're demigods!" I breathed.


	3. Chapter 2 - Marvel and More

There was a few seconds of stunned silence as everyone took in what I'd just said. Then Percy began to laugh. "Really Annabeth? Not this far north! And no way would they have survived without camp!" Rick's eyes flashed at Percy.  
"Camp? Wait, what?" I shook my head.  
"You first." But Lola stepped in front of Rick, arms folded.  
"Uh-uh, sister. Look, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but you ain't getting any secrets out of this girl. I suggest you just back off if you know what's good for you." I had to admire her nerve. They had just shown blatant use of magic and magic weapons. If they were monsters, we probably would have already been dead. But what Percy said was true... How had they survived without Camp Half Blood?  
"Look. We can help! We can protect you. We - " I was trying to make my tone reassuring and gentle, but Lola obviously wasn't buying it. She snorted and said:  
"Do you honestly think we need protecting? Us? C'mon girl, - Ow!" She rubbed the back of her head. Rick stepped forward.  
"No more talking." he said, glaring at Lola. This intrigued me. However, before I could ask why, Percy beat me to it. The only response was two scary looking glares from two scary looking kids. I sighed. We were getting nowhere. I turned to go, gesturing for Percy to follow. In an instant an arm was thrown out to stop me. I looked at Rick. His expression was quizzical.  
"Leaving so soon?" he asked with a half smile. Then his eyes caught sight of my beaded necklace, and his whole demeanour changed. Ah. I backed away slowly, palms raised, but he didn't seem interested in hurting me. Instead he pulled Lola aside and they started to have a very rapid conversation. I only caught one phrase, enough to let me know what they were talking about, and also that they were speaking French;  
_"Ils sont grecs!"  
_It seemed we were busted.

Percy clearly did not understand what was going on. I pulled him aside for our own private talk, but didn't seem to find the fact that two possibly hostile armed teenagers knew we were Greek demigods disturbing, or indeed, cause for distress. "Relax!" he whispered "They're demigods too, so you said. We can just take them back to camp and..." I wanted to slap him for being so ignorant, but at that moment our two Canadian friends returned. Rick spoke first.  
"Change of plan. You're not leaving until you have told us every little detail, every little thing about who you are, where you come from and what you're doing in Canada." Percy snorted.  
"That last one's easy. We're here to see some family of mine."  
"Mortal!" I interjected quickly. "Mortal family. As for who we are... I'm Annabeth, and this my boyfriend Percy." Lola rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, 'cause none of us had worked that one out." she muttered. This reminded me of something else.  
"Where are the other two girls? I swear there were four of you up there." Lola nodded.  
"Uh - huh. Laura and Chloe did a runner when Rick fell. They prefer orderly chaos."  
"Cowards." muttered Rick. "When I get my hands on them, I swear I will hang them upside down over the fire."  
"That's not something done in normal, every day society." I pointed out. I was hoping to lure them into some sort of verbal trap; to trick one or other of them into saying something that would tell me who they were.  
"Neither is having a pen that turns into a sword, is it, _Greek_?" I winced. The way he used that last word, I could tell it was not a good thing. Rick rubbed his temples as though in pain.  
"Can we just get back to the original problem here, please?" he asked. "Where do you come from?"  
"I think you already know that." I answered. Percy stared at me as though I was crazy, but I knew it was true. The way he had reacted to my necklace, the fact he had known we were Greeks...  
"The real problem," I continued "is that we don't know anything about you." Percy pulled out Riptide, but before he he could do anything, an invisible force knocked it out of his hands.  
"What the..." he gasped. Lola stood, arms raised, focused on Percy.  
"We just keep going in circles, don't we?" she asked, head on one side. "Now, tell us about your camp, or by Odin's beard - " She never got a chance to finish what she was saying because Rick leapt on her and the two of them started to roll around on the floor. Percy and I watched in amazement and confusion. Percy's face was pure comic genius.  
"Shut up! Shut your gob, you little harpy!" Rick was saying angrily to Lola. Lola retaliated with equal vehemence.  
"It was an accident, you idiot!"  
"You're so thick! Stupid, stupid girl!"  
"Not - my - _fault!" _grunted Lola, throwing Rick off her. Suddenly the tables were turned - Lola had the upper hand. I watched Lola pin Rick's skinny wrists to the ground. I felt a strange urge to laugh. They looked so much like my half-brothers squabbling over sweets, it was funny.  
"Get off me Lola!" moaned Rick, squirming under Lola, who was sitting on his stomach. "You're making me feel sick." Lola leapt off him in panic. I could see exactly where she was coming from. Rick took a few deep breaths, rubbing his stomach. Then he stretched out a hand. Lola rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what she was saying. She pulled him to his feet.  
"Listen, whatever your name is, I am a massive Marvel fangirl. I mean, when - " I interrupted her.  
"But judging by your brother's reaction, I would say that was a lie." I said with a sweet smile. Percy nodded vigorously from behind me. Lola glared at Rick.  
"My brother," she said viciously "Is an idiot." Percy grabbed me by the collar and pulled me towards him. I was completely confused. My honest thoughts? 'Really, Percy, I love you and all, but I don't think now...' Percy's voice interrupted my mental speech.  
"Annabeth. Did you ever study Norse mythology at school?"  
"Not really." I replied, but a sinking feeling was already settling over me.  
"Odin was a Norse God." Oh no. This was bad. Very, very bad. Without knowing it, Percy and I had found a new set of Gods - and, it seemed, their children.

* * *

**Hey readers!**

**I would just like to thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you thought in the review section, and sorry for the kinda cliff hanger ending once again!**

**Carlakitten21**


	4. Chapter Three - Climb Every Mountain

For once in my life, my mind went totally blank. I had no plan, no clever scheme to get us out of this. We were trapped. Trapped in a dark alley with two Norse demigods. _Norse demigods._ That phrase was spinning round my head and stabbing at my brain cells. It shouldn't be happening. Greek - Yes. Romans - Yes. Egyptians - Yes. But Norse? Why had we not known? This could not be happening. But it was. I suddenly became aware of someone at my shoulder.  
"Problem?" asked Rick, eyes narrowed.  
"No, no." I said in an overly bright voice. "No problem." Lola joined her brother by my side.  
"Rick..." she said tentatively. Rick nodded once. What happened next was too fast for me to register properly. I slammed against Percy and fell to the ground. I looked up to see Percy gagged and bound, and a rope like a lead in Lola's hand.  
"Get her." said Lola, nodding her head in my direction. "You're too soft Rick." Rick came towards me, grumbling, and swinging a rope in his right hand. But I wasn't going to be taken prisoner that easily. I hadn't spent years training at Camp Half Blood just to emerge as a silly little girl who couldn't defend herself. I kicked out forcefully with my foot at Rick's waist and was pleased to hear him yell out in pain as he stumbled backwards. I leapt to my feet and grabbed my knife out of my backpack. I pointed it at Lola.  
"Let him go." I growled. "Let him go now." Lola looked terrified, but she didn't release Percy.  
"Let him go." I repeated, filling every word with deliberate threat.  
"Don't let him go." interjected Rick. I pointed my knife at him.  
"I'd like to remind you who's holding the weapon." I said. Rick just laughed, then disappeared. Great. My already awful plan had just got worse. Percy was straining against his bonds, trying to get free, but Lola merely muttered something under her breath and the bonds glowed green and tightened themselves. My breathing started to speed up. Percy was captured and I was trapped in an alleyway with an invisible psycho on the loose. I spun slowly around.  
"I wouldn't bother, if I were you." Lola said smugly. "He's a master of stealth."  
"Oh yeah?" I asked, not dropping my guard as I continued to turn and scan the alley. "Is that his official title?" At that moment a noise from behind me made me whip around as fast as I could. Just then Percy screamed to me through his gag, and I only had a fraction of a second to realise my mistake before I felt a momentary searing pain at the back of my head, and everything went black.

I groaned as I started to come round, my head throbbing. I could feel someone's breath on my neck and the rhythm of their footsteps as they walked. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking in the sunlight.  
"Annabeth!" whispered Percy "You're awake! Thank the Gods!" I looked up at him, my vision still a little blurry.  
"What's going on? Where are those kids?" I asked, starting to panic as the memories of what had happened in the alley started to come back.  
"Hey, don't panic!" soothed Percy, holding me closer, and it was only then I realised that Percy was carrying me in his arms. I blinked again, and saw that Percy had a rope tied around his neck. I reached a hand up to touch it. Percy followed my hand.  
"I know." he said. "I don't know where they're taking us or what they want with us. But what I do know is that the other end of this rope is in that little witch's hand."  
I continued to roll the material between my fingers, my hatred for these children growing with every moment. I couldn't believe they had tied Percy and me up - I could feel bonds cutting into my ankles and my wrists. It was a level of cruelty and sick, twisted behaviour to which I never would have sunk. Maybe these Norse demigods did things differently, but even so, their ways showed a twisted mentality that just didn't sit with me, or Percy. Was this why Chiron had kept us away from the Norse demigods? To protect us?  
"Rick, Rick she's awake!" cried Lola from some way behind Percy. I heard quick footsteps as Percy gathered me even closer to his body. I screamed as someone grabbed me roughly by the shoulder and tried to tear me out of Percy's arms. Percy was doing his best to keep his hold on me, but suddenly the rope around his neck jerked backwards, and he stumbled backwards, dropping me as he did so. I fell on my side, but I was only on the ground for a split second before someone had me by the shoulders again and was forcing me up, yelling at me to get onto my knees. I swayed dizzily, not used to being thrown around so much. A boy's face swam into view, directly level with mine.  
"You." I spat vehemently. "You vile, disgusting piece of filth, tying us up like dogs, kidnapping us and dragging us Zeus knows where - " My words were cut off as Rick fastened a white piece of material around my mouth.  
"You are one incredibly irritating person." he said, sounding annoyed. He nodded his head in the general direction behind me, to Lola I assumed, and suddenly I felt the bonds around my ankles tingle, as though with electricity and then fall away. Rick grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. I started as someone looped a rope around my neck.  
"Just me." whispered Lola. "Now stay still please." I wanted to run, to get as far away from the sadistic children as I possibly could, but I knew it was already too risky. Lola was already tying the knot in the rope around my neck. And besides, they had Percy, and there was no way I was going to be able to get him out too. I was captured; well and truly captured. I shrugged Rick's arm of my shoulder. I wanted to retain some level of dignity, though I knew that was going to be nearly impossible when I had mud smeared across my face, ripped clothes and was tied up, being lead to wherever these creeps were taking me. We started to walk again, and Rick and Lola remained at the back, ropes like leads in their hands. I risked a quick glance back to check they were thoroughly absorbed in their conversation before dropping back to talk to Percy.  
"I'm so sorry." I said, before he could say anything. "So, so sorry. This is all my fault, I took us down that stupid alley, none of this would have happened if it wasn't for me, I - " I stopped because Percy was smiling at me. Odd, given the circumstances.  
"It's not your fault. You didn't know there was going to be evil demigod children down there, did you? It's okay. We're together, that's all that matters. The unstoppable team, Percy and Annabeth. Hey, we've survived Tartarus. We'll make it out of this, I promise." I rested my head on Percy's shoulder. It was times like these I really, _really_ loved him: no matter what his faults, he was always there for me, and he knew just what to say to reassure me. We walked in silence for a little while, before I noticed something odd.  
"Is it just me or are we going uphill?" I asked, turning around and not waiting for Percy's answer. I gasped as I saw the view spread out in front of me. The city was miles away, and we were hundreds of metres above it. Between us and the city was a long, gradual rocky descent and a massive open plain, spreading from the foot of the mountain to the edge of the city. Snaking through it was the main road to the city, grey and twisting down below. I turned back to face in front of us, and got another shock. We were nearly at the top of the hill. From here the climb got steeper and trickier, and then there was a huge ridge at the very summit, metres high, that looked impossible to climb. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it on a training exercise, let alone bound and captured with two crazy kids right behind.  
"How long have we been going for?" I asked, once I'd got over my initial shock.  
"About two and a half hours." began Percy.  
"Two and a half hours!" I exploded. "And you had to carry me all the way up this mountain for two and a half hours? When I get my hands on those children, I swear I'll - I'll..." I took a few calming breaths.  
"I am so sorry Percy." I whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen. What did they do to you?" Percy cleared his throat.  
"Well that alleyway we were in? It was right at the edge of the city. Right at the edge. And after they knocked you out, Rick picked you up and then we walked through the building at the back. Just," begged Percy at the sight of my face. "Just stay with me okay? They _are_ magic after all, and we really did walk through the building. Then we came out onto that plain down there, and we walked for a little bit, until Rick made me carry you. I don't think he could cope any more. I mean, he's not exactly that big. They must have been using some sort of cloaking magic though, because we walked right past the freeway and no one even saw us. Then we started up this hill. I think wherever the psycho kids are taking us is just over this ridge." He gestured towards the ridge with is head. We were practically right in front of it now. Up close, I could see rocks jutting out of the rock face like handholds, but they looked unstable and unreliable. Percy and I stopped as we reached it.  
"What's the problem now?" moaned Rick from behind us.  
"There's a huge cliff in front of us." I said. I would have thought it would have been obvious.  
"So?" asked Rick, sounding mildly irritated, and also confused.  
"We're tied up." explained Percy impatiently.  
"Oh alright." sighed Rick. "It's not much further anyway." The bonds around our hands fell away and I flexed my wrists appreciatively. The rope around my neck however, remained, and I watched as Rick tied his end around his wrist, and Lola did the same for Percy. I turned back to face the ridge. A little further a long there were jagged rocks at the bottom of the ridge that would make excellent boosts. I gestured for Percy to follow. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rick and Lola exchange glances - was this some sort of test? The rocks were much larger than I'd first anticipated, about half the size of me. I placed my arms on top and swung a knee over, hauling myself up. Percy was doing the same on another rock. I looked down. For the first time, it felt as though I was leading Rick rather than the other way around. I had an idea. If he wasn't able to keep up, then that would leave him in a very uncomfortable position. Okay, so it wasn't my best plan ever, and it wouldn't kill him, but it would be satisfying to have my small revenge. I began to climb, heaving my way up onto other rocks nearby. Within minutes, I was exhausted. It was tiring work. And, to my annoyance, Rick seemed to be doing just fine. I straightened up, standing on the tallest rock, with only cliff face left. There was no other way up. I searched around for a handhold, and eventually spotted one about half a metre to my left. Very carefully and very, very slowly, I started to position myself on the sheer face of the rock.  
"Will you hurry up already?" I screamed and slipped from the wall, landing miraculously on my feet, but stumbling backwards into Rick, who somehow managed to hold his ground.  
"Seriously, I mean it." he frowned, spreading his hands. And he began to scale the cliff face.  
He was like a monkey. In no time at all my rope necklace was beginning to choke me, and I had no choice but to follow. He seemed to know the way well, and he didn't seemed bothered when rocks crumbled around him. Within seconds he had reached the top, and was pulling himself over the peak of the ridge, right onto the summit of the hill. I took a little longer. I could barely breathe (partly due to strangulation) and spots were already starting to dance in my vision. Just then, a hand was thrust in front of my face. I looked up, expecting to see Percy, but Rick was crouched above me, leaning over the edge, stretching his pale hand out to me. I still hated him, and it took a moment's hesitation before I clasped his hand and let him pull me up. I instantly pushed myself up off my stomach and stood up. My thoughts were on Percy, but when I saw what lay in the valley in front of me, they instantly vanished. It was beautiful. It was also impossible. And very, very bad.

* * *

**Hey readers!  
Yeah, I'm back, and sorry for the MASSIVE break! Anyway, hopefully the updates will be a bit more frequent from now on, but if you like this story, please follow, favourite and review, because it means so much! Thanks guys,  
CarlaKitten21**


	5. Chapter Four - The Other Camp

Down in the valley below and on the surrounding mountainsides was what looked like a little Nordic village. The buildings were all made out of logs, and fires burnt on the hillsides, where snow covered the rooftops of some of the buildings further up the mountain. But the longer I looked, the more I started to feel all was not as it seemed. Somehow it just didn't look right.  
"I think it's beautiful." sighed Rick, who I suddenly realised was standing beside me. He was smiling peacefully, the first time I'd seen him properly smile. He didn't look so scary when he smiled. I had to shake myself mentally to remind myself that this was the guy who'd knocked me out and tied me up. But I had to agree with him; it really was beautiful.  
"Annabeth!" It was Percy, his head just visible over the top of the ridge. I ran to the edge, lending him my hand and helping to pull him up. Lola was right behind him, almost as nimble as her brother, and she had no trouble scaling the final part of the mountain. She flung herself down on a rocky ledge overlooking the valley, swinging her legs contentedly.  
"Now's our chance Annabeth!" whispered Percy excitedly. "While they're both distracted, we can make a run for it." This idea would have appealed to me a quarter of an hour ago, but now I wasn't so sure.  
"Percy, you haven't seen this yet." I said, taking his hand and leading him forward, to where we could see the valley in all its glory. A look of awe spread across Percy's face.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"It's home." called Lola, still sitting on her ledge.  
"This is where you live?" asked Percy incredulously. Before Rick and Lola could say anything, I nodded.  
"This is your camp, isn't it?" Rick shifted uncomfortably, then tore himself away from the view.  
"It's time we got going." he said gruffly, not looking at me as he picked up my rope lead. Lola pushed herself up off her perch with visible reluctance and regained her hold on Percy's lead. Percy and I knew this was our cue to keep on moving, so we started to pick our way carefully down the loose, rocky slope. Strangely, our two captors walked in silence, and I didn't feel I could break that silence. Only once did I look back at them, when we were halfway down the mountain. They were navigating the terrain like mountain goats, unlike Percy and I, who kept slipping and stumbling, despite the freedom of our hands. But it was as they'd said: this was their home. They'd probably been up and down this mountain a thousand times. As we got closer to the camp, I started to see people milling about in the streets. Away in the distance I could hear a crowd roaring, and on the other side of the valley, I could see a stadium, nestled among the trees. As we drew even closer to the camp still, the people down on the streets started to notice us. Most looked just like your average teenager, but a couple were wearing armour and carried swords and shields. Finally, my feet hit flat ground and I breathed a sigh of relief. I had thought the hill would never end. But now I had even bigger problems. I was in enemy territory, in the very heart of their homeland. I heard Rick come up beside me as, overwhelmed, I stopped.  
"Welcome to Camp Raven's Wing." he grinned.

The crowds parted in front of us as we walked through the busy streets, but to be honest, I didn't notice. I was too busy studying my surroundings. The streets themselves were no more than yellow dirt tracks, but that didn't seem to bother the campers, who ran around in sandals and sometimes bare feet. The sweet smell of freshly baked bread drifted over the wind. The further we got into the camp, the busier and brighter it seemed to get. It reminded me a lot of Camp Half Blood. I could see kids sparring ferociously to my right, and to my left, some campers seemed to be doing some sort of extreme obstacle course. We stopped at a quiet clearing in among the trees. Cabins spread out in the forest around us. It reminded me of one of those cheesy summer camps you always saw on the television and in films. There were only a few campers here. The nearest one to us had stopped mid-action as she was towelling her hair down as she walked. It was to her Rick addressed his next words.  
"Get Hammer." She ran off, a look of terror on her face. Kids started to trickle into the clearing, obviously curious as to what was going on. Rick and Lola didn't seemed fazed at all - in fact, they seemed to be rather pleased with the attention. It made me feel even more nervous. I did not want an audience for whatever was going to happen next. Who was Hammer? How did you even get a name like Hammer? I was guessing it wasn't good. We stood there for a couple more minutes, as the crowd of campers steadily grew, muttering and whispering to themselves. Suddenly, they all fell silent and a huge boy appeared at the other end of the clearing, flanked by two other boys only a little smaller than he was. The girl with the towel cowered behind them, looking scared.  
"Rick." said the other boy, a hint of question and surprise in his voice.  
"Hammer." replied Rick. I could hear the refrained hostility and anger in his voice. Not friends then.  
"Who are these people?" asked Hammer, advancing upon us, his two friends never leaving his side. "Why are they here?"  
"We caught them trespassing on the east border." Hammer was now right up in Rick's face, but Rick didn't move, despite being having to look up to meet Hammer's gaze.  
"No one can cross that border unless the blood of the Gods runs in their veins. So if you idiots have captured two of our own - "  
"They're Greek." interrupted Rick.  
"What?" Hammer looked genuinely shocked. The mood seemed to be reflected around the clearing: all the campers started to whisper excitedly to each other.  
"They are Greek demigods." repeated Rick slowly, as though explaining something to a small child.  
"Impossible!" spat Hammer. "That's just a myth!" Rick shrugged, turning and walking away.  
"See for yourself." Hammer strode over to Percy and grabbed at the bead necklace around his neck.  
"Hey!" I protested. "Leave him alone!" Hammer didn't seem to hear me. He released his hold on Percy, breathing deeply. He took a few seconds to compose himself. Rick sidled over to him, a cunning glint in his eyes.  
"So, as it was Lola and I that brought them in, I'm hoping we can come to sort of arrangement, maybe - " He never got the chance to finish his sentence, because Hammer rounded on him at that moment.  
"You're expecting some sort of reward? A reward for bringing enemies into our camp, giving away our secrets, endangering us all?" Rick started to back up, palms raised, as Hammer advanced on him. "How could you do such a stupid thing?"  
"They're prisoners. This could give us an advantage! Hammer, please..." Rick was right up against the wall, trapped.  
"You, you're not even a proper demigod. What you've done; I should kill you for being a traitor." Hammer spat. Rick's face contorted with rage.  
"I'm not the traitor, you evil battlefield-abandoning hypocrite." Hammer seized Rick around the neck, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the cabin wall.  
"What did you say?" he yelled. Rick's hands scrabbled desperately at Hammer's large hands, tight around his neck. My heart was racing, and I was filled with terror. He was going to kill him.  
"Stop it!" screamed Lola. "Stop it!" Hammer didn't even look at her.  
"Say it again." he snarled. "Say it again now, and see what happens." Rick said nothing. Instead he stopped struggling and placed his hands on Hammer's wrists. Immediately, a blue frost started to spread up Hammer's arms. For a split second he didn't notice, and only looked confused as to why the skinny boy he had pinned up against the wall had stopped fighting back. Then he realised what was happening.  
"Argh!" he cried, letting go of Rick and running around the clearing flapping his arms in panic, his two bodyguards following, trying to calm him down. The onlookers laughed, but Lola ran over to Rick's crumpled form lying on the ground. He sat up, looking dazed. Just then, Percy caught my eye. _We could run for it._ he mouthed. I was about to reply, when a gust of wind blew through the trees, blowing my hair about my face, and in that instant the wind seemed to whisper to me and fill my heart. _Stay here, _it seemed to say, _don't leave._ I shook my head at Percy. His mouth fell open, but how could I explain a feeling like that? Suddenly I heard a girl scream; Lola. Hammer had kicked her out of his way and pinned Rick against the wall again.  
"Cowardly Jotunn scum!" he roared. Next to me, Percy froze.  
"Jotunn?" he breathed. I glanced at him, then back towards Rick.  
"Percy," I said "If we're not leaving, then I think it's time we started standing up to the bullies." I ran and jumped onto Hammer's back, pulling him backwards and off Rick, who subsequently vanished. Percy grabbed a knife from the belt of a very startled looking Lola, and began brandishing it in Hammer's face, forcing him to weave and dodge about, with me still clinging to his back. It worked for a few seconds, before Hammer's two goons managed to comprehend what was going on and thought to intervene. As one dived on Percy, another ripped me clean off Hammer's back, leaving me to roll on the floor. The onlookers were cheering wildly; that was, until they saw the stormy look in Hammer's eyes. He stormed over to me, and I got shakily to my feet; after all, my mother always said you had to stand up to bullies. Hammer stopped when we were face to face (or rather, my face was level with his chest). He seemed a little confused, probably as to why I hadn't backed off, or why I'd attacked him in the first place, and this gave Rick the moment he needed.  
"Jotunn scum this!" yelled Rick, leaping off the top of the nearest building and slamming feet first into Hammer's head. Rick rolled across the ground and jumped to his feet unharmed, like a circus stuntman, as Hammer crumpled to the ground. Lola yelled in the strange language she'd been talking in earlier, directing her hands towards Hammer's two friends, preempting their next moves, and they were both instantly knocked over, crashing into each other as they went flying. Lola and Rick high fived each other, panting hard and surveying their work.  
"What's the meaning of this?"'snapped a woman's voice from behind us. Rick swore loudly.  
"Why," said the woman, her voice so icy cold I daren't turn around. "Are Hammer, James and Ulric on the floor, concussed? Why are you all gathered around here like it's some sort of sporting event? Why has Rick got bruises around his neck like he's been strangled? And why are there children with ropes around their necks like leashes on puppies?"  
"Thank you." I muttered. "Somebody finally understands."  
"Fixing that." murmured Lola, and the ropes around mine and Percy's necks fell away. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in hours.  
"We're very sorry Ylva." began Rick, clearly sucking up to Ylva to get in her good side before Hammer could come round again. "See, we thought we'd better get them because they were Greek, but it turns out they're not evil after all - "  
"Wait, hold your horses!" called Ylva, holding up her hands to stop him. "Greek?" I thought this would be a good time for me to intervene and explain myself. I turned round, only to see a relatively short girl in a short, flowing blue dress standing with her hands on her hips, scowling at everybody and everything. Despite her pretty features, long blonde hair and height, she was scary to look at.  
"Yes, Ms Ylva, Percy and I are from Camp Half Blood." Ylva turned to look at us, the hard look in her eyes not fading.  
"You are, are you? Well, what are you doing here then?" I could feel the eyes of all the campers around the clearing watching me, waiting for my answer.  
"We were on our way to visit some family of mine." Percy put in. I breathed a sigh of relief. "We got lost and ended up in an alley way where Rick and Lola, um, found us."  
"And we're really, really sorry." piped up Lola. "We were just following orders. We thought you were a potential threat. We didn't realise you were so... Nice." I didn't know whether to believe her or not. Even if they had only been following orders, hadn't they taken it a little to far? Then I looked at the sincere apologetic expressions on her's and Rick's faces. They obviously truly believed at the time that what they were doing at the time was right, and in the best interests of the camp. And they weren't really that bad kids. I sighed. That was the trouble with being the good guy. You always had to do the right thing.  
"Oh okay." I sighed, which made Rick and Lola grin with relief. Percy looked at me like I was crazy, but I chose to ignore him for once.  
"I have never met a Greek before." mused Ylva. "Are you demigods?" Percy and I nodded, and Ylva looked up at the sky thoughtfully.  
"You must stay here for a while." she decided. "No ifs, no buts. We extend our friendship to you, and to your kind. Then when you leave us you can report as fully as possible back to your leader. Perhaps we can ally with each other, and form strong friendships. Yes, that is the best course of action. You may stay with us as long as you wish."  
"Thank you so much Ylva." I replied graciously, then glared at Percy, who didn't seem to feel that staying in a different camp was a good idea. Don't know what his problem was. He was the one who went and lived with the Romans.  
"Thank you Ylva." said Percy, after only a fraction of a second's delay. Ylva smiled warmly, which really lit up her face, changing it from terrifying to beautiful in an instant.  
"I now officially welcome you, friends, to our Camp, Camp Raven's Wing."


	6. Chapter Six - Explanations

The crowd started to disperse, and Ylva hurried over to the three boys on the floor, who were just starting to come round. Lola and Rick rushed over to us, and instantly started to talk in rapid, slightly panicked voices, talking over each other.  
"We're so sorry!" Lola began.  
"We really probably shouldn't have tied you up -" continued Rick.  
"We didn't mean it -"  
"We were just following orders."  
"Can you really, honestly, truly forgive us?" begged Lola. I smiled a small smile, and beside me Percy did too.  
"Of course we can." said Percy kindly. "That's what sets the good guys apart from the bad guys. The heart to give people a second chance." Lola and Rick smiled gratefully at him, and Rick opened his mouth as if to say something, but at that moment, he turned around as Ylva called from behind them.  
"Rick, come with me to the infirmary, we'll see that you're alright." Rick kicked out at the ground, grumbling something under his breath, glaring at Hammer. He turned to Lola.  
"See you later." he muttered. "Take Percy and, um, yeah, her, around the camp. Show them everything." And then he was off, following Ylva, who was supporting James, Ulric and Hammer, through the trees.  
"It's Annabeth!" I yelled after him, but a small smile was spreading across my face.  
"Right then!" said Lola cheerily, full of energy. "The full tour! I have to be honest, I've never done this before, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing..." Percy laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder.  
"You'll be fine. Let's go, guide Lola!" Lola laughed, and shrugged off Percy's arm, darting back to the edge of the path we'd originally come down.  
"Come on then!" she grinned. Percy and I glanced at each other quickly, then ran to catch up with her.  
"So all this time there's been Norse demigods living in Canada?" I asked.  
"Yup." replied Lola.  
"I'll kill Frank." I muttered. Percy laughed, but then a more serious expression settled across his face.  
"Except it's not just demigods you raise here, is it?" I looked at Percy quizzically, but as I did so, I remembered something.  
"Didn't Hammer say Rick wasn't a proper demigod? When they were fighting?" Lola squirmed uncomfortably.  
"I don't really - "  
"He also called him 'Jotunn scum'." said Percy softly. Lola looked at him, panicking. "It's alright. I know parts of it."  
"Wait, you know something I don't?" I asked Percy incredulously. He just smirked, smug.  
"So are you proper demigods?" I asked Lola. She stopped, her face twisted with anxiety and fear.  
"It depends on who you ask." she began slowly.  
"Wait, what?" I interrupted. Lola sighed.  
"Our Dad is Loki, Norse God of mischief and trickery. Lots of people don't like us because, well, we're different. Our Dad's a Jotunn. An ice giant. So lots of people - well, not just people, all sorts of creatures really - they think that we don't truly have godly blood in us. That we're monsters."  
"That's horrible!" I protested. "Why should it make any difference?"  
"Also to question whether you're demigods is to question Loki's own godly status isn't it?" frowned Percy.  
"Yes." said Lola, starting to walk again. "And that's part of the problem. That people just don't like Dad. And what with all that's going on in Asgard - " Lola stopped speaking abruptly.  
"Yes?" I prompted.  
"I didn't say that." Lola warned. "I never said that."  
"Why didn't you say that?" asked Percy.  
"Look," whispered Lola darkly, leaning in. "I'll tell you later, alright? But just drop it for now, please." Percy and I exchanged hard, worried glances. There was a lot more going on here than met the eye.

"Welcome into town!" grinned Lola, throwing her arms wide and spinning round to face us. "This road we've just come down is called Asgardian Avenue, and it's the main road through the whole camp. It continues all the way down here, see?" Lola pointed forward, to where the dusty yellow track could be seen making its way all the way to the base of the hill.  
"So where we just were, with the cabins, is that where you guys sleep?" asked Percy.  
"Well, that's where some of us sleep. The cabins are all quite spread out in the forest, and often there's two or three next to each other like you saw, but no more really. See, it's quite relaxed around here. There's a big hall which we use for breakfast and dinner, and the occasional feast, but at lunch everyone just goes where they like."  
"So you have cabins like Camp Half Blood, but a town like Camp Jupiter." I murmured. Lola looked confused.  
"Sorry?" she frowned. I realised my mistake almost instantly.  
"Nothing, don't worry." I said, trying to sound light and cheerful. Lola still seemed uneasy though so I continued. "When you say everyone just goes where they like for lunch..."  
"Yeah," started Lola, as if coming out of a daze. "See, everyone has different timetables for the day, and so there's no point in trying to get everyone in for lunch together. Come on, I'll show you what I mean." We started walking again, and Lola started talking again.  
"So we've just come down Asgardian Avenue, and that's where all the activities and training exercises are located, and obviously the cabins. I'll try and get you a map, it's quite confusing at first but you'll soon get used to it." I grimaced, remembering my last experience with maps and how that had ended. "So here in town, on your left is The Dwarf Delicatessen, and it is quite literally run by dwarves, so that's why the door is so small. Down that road just next to it, that's where all the crafted things are - jewellery, swords, statues, anything you can think of, they'll be making it down there. Just be careful you don't trip over anyone - it's quite dark, and dwarves are quite small."  
"I'm sorry," interrupted Percy. "But can you just explain the whole 'we have dwarves' thing?" Lola smiled, without turning round.  
"The dwarves are excellent craftsmen and women. They make all sorts of things for us such as armour and weapons, and so really a few of them need to live here. They set up shops to make money and to keep themselves busy."  
"Right. Got you." Percy replied. "Carry on."  
"On our right there is the bookshop, which sells loads of ancient scrolls, mostly copies, but occasionally there's something authentic, so if..." Lola's voice trailed off in my mind as I stared at the faded red paint front of the bookshop. Architecturally speaking, it was beautiful. It was three storeys tall, and the top two floors were plastered white, and what was more incredible was that it was still intact, when it, like the building, had to be at least one and a half thousand years old. The bottom floor was the entrance to the shop, and the painted façade showed red runes I couldn't read, and decoration down the walls.  
"Annabeth!" called Percy, sounded exasperated. "What are you doing?" I shook my head and realised I'd walked forward. I turned around and rejoined Percy and Lola.  
"I was just admiring the architecture." I explained. Percy rolled his eyes.  
"Do that later, please." he begged. I laughed.  
"Why, have you got a problem with my love of architecture?"  
"Sort this out later guys, really." sighed Lola, a hint of laughter in her eyes. "The town does have nice architecture, I'll give you that. Look, if you want to explore the bookshop, come back tomorrow and have a look. It's run by an old demigod named Jost. He'll be happy to help you." I nodded gratefully, and glanced back once at the bookshop as Lola carried on with the tour. Then I turned my attention back to what Lola was saying.  
"And if you turn left at this junction, you'll end up at the sparring grounds, and right will take you to the training assessment course. We'll get you on that at some point." she finished with a smirk.  
"I don't like the sound of that." I said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Nothing much to worry about." Lola replied, trying to contain a smirk and laughter, and failing epically.  
"So if we continue straight down this road, Asgardian Avenue or whatever it's called, where will we be?" interjected Percy.  
"Well that's where we're going now." answered Lola, leading us across the junction and dodging between campers coming at us from every direction. "Basically it's more restaurants, coffee shops and then we hit the light elves sector of town, so there are a lot of clothes shops and the hairdresser's is down here too. Light elves are good at that sort of stuff. But it's the children they have with humans that live here with us."  
"What are light elves?" I asked, curious.  
"Well, you've already met one. Ylva's a light elf." explained Lola. "But light elves are minor goddesses of fertility and things like that, and they live in Alfheim."  
"Alfheim?" I asked, confused.  
"Yeah, that's what I said." nodded Lola. When I still looked confused, Lola repeated herself slowly, as if speaking to a very stupid child. "Alfheim. One of the nine realms."  
"Annabeth," Percy interrupted. "In Norse Mythology, there are nine different dimensions, as it were, for the different races." I felt truly thick - an experience I was really hating. But it was all so confusing - that Olympus could coexist with nine other Norse worlds and we didn't even know. But slowly I began to think, and I began to realise. There was no way a big thing like that would have gone completely unnoticed. Someone knew. And someone had chosen not to tell us. It seemed we had been duped. It had happened with the Romans, and then with the Egyptians, and now this. How many others were out there?

"Lola!" I looked up from my coffee to see Rick running across the road to us. Lola, Percy and I were sitting on comfortable wicker chairs outside Alvilda's Coffee Shop. Rick grabbed a chair from a nearby table, much to the surprise of the people sitting there, and flung himself into it between me and Lola.  
"Man, Hammer's annoying." he said, leaning back in his chair and letting the sun fall on his face.  
"Why is that always the first thing out of your mouth?" quizzed Lola, sounding annoyed.  
"Sorry Lola." said Rick, sitting up and looking at her, clearly surprised by her reaction. "He was just getting on my nerves, OK? He wouldn't shut up the whole time we were in the infirmary."  
"Just try to stop thinking about Hammer for one minute, and shut up. Think you can manage that?" Lola snapped. I didn't think Lola was the type to say things like that, and I was surprised. Rick sat there in shock, frozen, mouth open. Lola sighed.  
"Rick, I'm sorry, I just snapped and let it all out." Percy and I exchanged awkward glances.  
"Thanks for letting me know." muttered Rick. Lola kicked him under the table,  
"Don't be such a crybaby." she moaned. "Now, are you alright?" Rick scowled at her.  
"No." And he kicked her under the table. "Now I'm better." Lola rolled her eyes, but then she caught Rick's eye and they both broke into badly contained silent laughter.  
"Right then," I said, really worried for their sanity, "Moving on from that rather weird sudden recovery - " Lola interrupted me with a laugh.  
"I couldn't be too mad at him. He's my brother and my best friend. Besides, children of Loki have to stick together, otherwise we're seriously screwed."  
"So is your neck alright?" interjected Percy, changing the subject none too subtly.  
"Well Ylva was a little rushed, so she fixed the major damage, but I've still got some of the bruising around the base of my neck." Rick responded, subconsciously running his fingers along the bottom of his neck, where a the top of a large purple bruise could be seen poking out above the neck line of his shirt.  
"We should probably be getting back to the cabin in a minute, so that we're back in time to go to dinner. Remember, it's early dinner tonight because we've got battle strategy training after."  
"Gods, I'd forgotten about that." cursed Rick. I was curious.  
"What's battle strategy training?" I inquired. I had a vague idea, but I wanted to make sure I was right and not jump to any conclusions.  
"We get into teams, sometimes in our cabins and sometimes not, and we have to try and capture our objective and stop the other team, or teams, getting to their's. We get a different objective every time, and a different place to start, and the teams are often mixed up too."explained Lola. "It's to simulate the reality of an actual battle. We can use whatever powers or weapons we have, though there is a limit of two weapons per person, and whatever natural resources we have. Because in a real fight we can't choose the advantage, and we can't pick our teams or what we're fighting for, the strategy training is designed to prepare us for all those things."  
"It sounds a lot like capture the flag." grinned Percy, happily anticipating another evening of sport. Rick frowned.  
"What's that?" Percy looked at him, shocked.  
"Dude, you've missed out. Now, capture - " I could see this was probably going to take a very long time, so I cut Percy off before he got _really _into it.  
"Come on Seaweed Brain, I don't think we have time for all that today. I thought we were going somewhere?" I turned to look inquiringly at Lola. She stretched and pushed her chair away from the table, standing up as she did so.  
"Alright then." she sighed reluctantly, gesturing for us to follow her. I saw her reach into her pocket and take out a bank note, but before I'd had time to study it properly, or even to see the currency, Lola had slipped it under her coffee cup and everyone was already making their way down the road and back towards the cabin. I felt a sudden thrill of excitement. It was just like being at Camp Half Blood for the very first time again; new people to meet, new things to discover, a whole new world to explore. It was the best feeling ever, and I couldn't wait to satisfy it.


End file.
